Birthday Built For Two
by SPB
Summary: (Originally published on FimFiction.) Cheese Sandwich returns to Ponyville to plan a party for Pinkie Pie's birthday. But Pinkie suspects Cheese has another reason for coming back on short notice, and why does he seem to be acting so weird around her?


Six mares (and one baby dragon) all sat around the glowing table map in the throne room of Twilight's castle, an important date was coming up that involved one of their friends. A date so important, they wanted to make sure to celebrate it right. That date was none other than the birthday of Pinkie Pie.

"Well, girls?" Twilight asked, looking at each of her friends. "Any ideas on how we're going to celebrate Pinkie's birthday this time?"

Starlight was the first one to speak up in response. "Why not throw her a surprise party?" She suggested. "She's so busy planning other parties, I doubt she'd notice us setting up for our own party."

Twilight, Spike, and the rest of their friends exchanged nervous glances. "Um... we kind of did that already," Rainbow Dash replied. "It didn't work that well." She seemed to briefly shudder upon finishing that sentence.

"Why? What happened?" Starlight asked, this was the first time she'd heard of such an event.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air, before Rainbow Dash awkwardly chuckled. "You don't wanna know, trust me on this one."

Starlight was going to try and press for more details, but a stern glare from Twilight silenced her.

"Well, does anypony _else_ have any other ideas?" Spike asked, changing the subject. "I don't see why we can't just get Pinkie Pie to plan her own birthday party."

"Because it would defeat the entire purpose of having one, Spike," Rarity replied with a sigh. "She always puts so much work into planning her parties, because she's doing it to make others happy. If she did it for herself there would be no point in throwing one."

"But we tried plannin' and throwin' a party similar to the ones Pinkie throws," Applejack added. "We can't match that kind of dedication and talent even if we tried."

"What we need, is somepony who's capable of throwing a party worthy of a party pony like Pinkie." Fluttershy added.

"Like me?" A familiar somber voice asked.

Everypony turned to look, the owner of the voice was a stallion with a familiar looking coat of light brilliant gamboge, and green eyes. His brown colored mane and tail looked so similar to Pinkie's, you might think they were related. To top it off, his cutie mark looked like a grilled cheese sandwich in the shape of an accordion. Said stallion also had on a black cowboy hat and poncho, and resting on his back was a rubber chicken. With the exception of Starlight, everyone in the room immediately knew who their visitor was. "Cheese Sandwich?!" They all exclaimed.

"The one and only!" Cheese Sandwich exclaimed, tossing off his cowboy attire as if it weighed nothing.

"Who's Cheese Sandwich?" Starlight wondered outloud, having never heard of the party pony before.

"He showed up here in Ponyville once before," Spike whispered. "Turns out he really wanted to impress Pinkie because she was the one who inspired him to become a party pony in the first place. He's a self proclaimed 'Super Duper Party Pony'."

"Yeah, I don't like to brag, but my reputation [i]does[/i] precede me a little," Cheese replied, before he put his cowboy hat back on and seriously asked. "So, you girls need my services as a party pony?"

Twilight smiled and nodded. "Oh, absolutely. Pinkie's birthday is coming up and we're at a loss as to how to plan the party."

"Uh-huh, and you want me to take over the planning and preparations?" Cheese asked, to which everyone in the room nodded. "Well, I'd be honored to!" He exclaimed, tossing his cowboy hat into the air. "I originally came here hoping for some rest and relaxation, but it seems the work of a party pony is never done. You fillies just leave everything to Boneless Two and I, we'll throw Pinkie a birthday party worthy of a party pony like her!"

"Oh, thanks a bunch, Cheese! You're a lifesaver!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "What do we owe you?! Just name your price!"

But Cheese only giggled. "You don't owe me anything, your smiles are payment enough. Now then, what kind of party did you girls want for Pinkie? A surprise party, a regular party, a scavenger hunt party? You name it, I can throw it!"

"Just a usual Cheese Sandwich style party would be good enough," Starlight spoke up. "Nothing too fancy, just something that will impress Pinkie."

Cheese smiled brightly. "That'll be easy peasy cider squeezy!" Then under his breath he added. "Plus, it'll give me a chance to really get to know Pinkie better. Maybe even finally show her just how much she means to me." And if anypony had been looking, they would've seen a faint blush appear on Cheese's face.

[hr]

"Thanks again for helping me organize those important files," Mayor Mare said to Pinkie, as the pink coated earth pony bounced out of town hall. "One of these days I really need to invest in a proper filing system."

"Yeah, you should. One of these days you're gonna misplace something important, and I won't be there to help you." Pinkie laughed in response.

"I sure hope that day never comes." Mayor Mare nervously replied.

"I hope so too, then we'll both be in trouble," Pinkie giggled, and bounced away. But she hadn't been bouncing for long when she could've sworn she heard music. And not just any music, but accordion music. " _Could it be?_ " Pinkie thought, her bouncing coming to a grinding halt. Slowly making her way towards the source of the music, Pinkie could overhear somepony providing lyrics in addition to the music. Upon reaching the center of town, Pinkie's eyes immediately fell on a familiar stallion singing away while he worked. He seemed to humming a little ditty to himself, and his cutie mark moved like an accordion with every note, to say nothing of the actual accordion he was playing. Pinkie gasped. "Cheese Sandwich?!"

Cheese spun around, as if he were surprised to hear Pinkie's voice, dropping his accordion in the process. "Oh, hey Pinkie." He greeted, trying to put on the most sincere smile he could. Was it Pinkie's imagination, or did he seem to be a little bit embarrassed?

"What are you doing in Ponyville?" Pinkie asked her party pony friend. "I thought you were busy as a super duper party pony, travelling all over Equestria and planning parties?"

"Oh, I was. But I got a little tired of it all, even yours truly has his limits," Cheese replied, growing slightly more comfortable as the situation progressed. "I originally came here hoping for some rest and relaxation. But now I'm in charge of planning your birthday party."

Pinkie's mouth dropped wide open! "Really?! You're telling the truth?!"

"You'd better believe it!" Cheese exclaimed, picking his accordion back up before adopting a somewhat more serious tone. "So I'm going to be very busy these next few days. I've got locations to scour, invitations to pass out, party games to organize, you name it."

"Do you need any help?" Pinkie asked. "I'd be honored to lend a helping hoof or two."

But Cheese just shook his head. "This is your birthday party, Pinkie, and I want you to enjoy it. I couldn't ask you to help me organize it. Think of the party as my birthday present to you! It wouldn't be any fun if you got to pick out the present for yourself, now would it?"

"Darn, you're right," Pinkie replied, pretending to get flustered. "But can I ask you something else?"

"Sure, Pinkie, what is it?" Cheese asked, suspecting nothing.

"Why didn't you write to me and tell me you were going to come back to Ponyville?" Pinkie said to Cheese. "I could've organized something to welcome you, and I would've loved to know you were going to be here even if you had no idea you were going to be organizing and throwing a party for my birthday."

Pinkie's question seemed to provoke a most unusual response in Cheese, he froze and looked all around as if he'd rather look at anything but Pinkie. "Uh, I just... wanted to surprise you. Yeah, that it's," Cheese nervously answered, putting on the best grin he could manage on such short notice. "You _do_ like surprises, right?"

"In this case, you betcha!" Pinkie grinned. "But next time you're planning to come back to Ponyville, just write."

"Believe me, I will." Cheese replied, and went back to working on the party once Pinkie had bounced happily away.

[hr]

Cheese Sandwich worked hard all day and even into the sunset to get everything ready, sure Pinkie's birthday wasn't for a few days still, but he wanted everything to be just right. It had to be, because this was his big chance to impress her, and if all went as planned he would give Pinkie a present she would never forget!

"Hey, Cheese!" Pinkie happily greeted, stopping to look at what the self proclaimed super duper party pony had accomplished already. "Wowie! This party's coming along nicely, and you even remembered my favorite color!" She happily exclaimed, admiring the various pink streamers and banners hung up. "How did you get this all done so quickly?!"

"Well I learned from the best," Cheese replied, hoping that the setting sun would hide the faint blush forming on his cheeks. Hoping to divert Pinkie's attention he put on his cowboy hat once again and said. "Anyway, it's getting quite late. Guess it's time for me to call it a night and hit the hay."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Pinkie asked Cheese.

"I found a quaint little hotel on the outskirts of town. It's nothing anything spectacular, but it should do fine for the next couple of days," Cheese answered. "As a travelling party pony, I get used to living on the road a lot, even if that sometimes means roughing it."

Pinkie gasped, she was shocked to hear that Cheese didn't have a place to call his own, especially in a town as welcoming and friendly as Ponyville. "Oh no no no, you **CAN'T** stay in some two bit hotel! If you need a place to stay while you're in town, I've got just the place! Sugarcube Corner has a guest bedroom upstairs, I'm sure The Cakes won't mind if you use it."

"Really, Pinkie, it's no big deal if I just sleep in a hotel!" Cheese insisted. "I'll be fine!"

But Pinkie wasn't going to take no for an answer. "There's no way I'm letting you stay in some old hotel when there's a perfectly good bedroom in need of somepony to occupy it. Come on!" And before Cheese could say even a single word in protest, Pinkie was dragging him away by the ear, refusing to let go.

Pinkie dragged Cheese all the way to Sugarcube Corner, and through the front door. "Mr. Cake! Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie called.

Mrs. Cake made a hushing motion with her hooves as she emerged from downstairs. "Not so loud, Pinkie. I just put the twins to bed."

"Sorry," Pinkie apologized, lowering her tone. "But I've brought a guest. You remember Cheese Sandwich, right?"

"How could we forget?" Mr. Cake chuckled. "For weeks afterward everypony was talking about Rainbow's birthaversary and you challenging Cheese to a goof-off. Why do you ask?"

Pinkie smiled, pushing Cheese forward. "Because he's going to be staying in town for a few days to plan my birthday party, and he needs a place to sleep. Can he stay in the guest bedroom upstairs? Can he?! Can he?!" She asked as she bounced up and down, unable to contain her excitement.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked across to each other, then at Cheese Sandwich. Truth be told, they had found the party pony to be a little bit eccentric, but then so was Pinkie Pie and she was practically family to them. Besides, Cheese seemed like a responsible enough pony. He had to be if he truly traveled all over Equestria like he claimed he did.

"You don't have to let me stay, I already had my sleeping arrangements figured out as it was," Cheese replied, looking down at his hooves. "Plus, I don't want to be a burden. I know you two have kids to take care of."

"Oh come now, Mr. Cheese Sandwich," Mr. Cake spoke up with a warm smile. "We would be more than happy to let you stay here for long as you'd like. We were wondering what to do with that extra guest bedroom anyway."

"Just make sure to keep the noise to a minimum," Mrs. Cake added. "Pound and Pumpkin Cake aren't very heavy sleepers, and if they wake up it takes a long time to get them to fall asleep again."

"Don't worry, Cheese is great with kids!" Pinkie beamed with excitement. "And I'll make sure he isn't too loud! Thank you both so much for agreeing to let him stay!" She gave Mr. and Mrs. Cake great big hugs, Cheese Sandwich couldn't help but feel jealous. " _I'd love to get hugs from Pinkie Pie too._ " He thought to himself.

Once the hugs had ended, Mrs. Cake cleared her throat and asked. "Pinkie, would you be a dear and guide Cheese up to the bedroom? It can be a little tricky if you don't know the way."

"Can do, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie promised, and turned to Cheese. "Come on you, you're gonna need your rest if you want to keep planning my birthday party. Besides, you haven't met Gummy yet."

"He still doesn't have teeth yet, right?" Cheese nervously asked, as he followed Pinkie upstairs.

Pinkie giggled. "Of course he doesn't, Mr. and Mrs. Cake wouldn't let me keep him if he did. Just keep an eye on him if he goes near the babies, he seems to love stealing Pound's pacifier for some reason."

[hr]

The guest bedroom The Cakes had been talking about turned out to be directly beneath Pinkie's bedroom, and it seemed to have been repainted and redecorated just recently if the discarded wall paper and empty paint cans was any indication. But sleeping in it proved to not be much of a problem for Cheese, life on the road meant you had to get used to sleeping in all kinds of arrangements good and bad alike.

Next morning, Cheese awoke refreshed and ready for another day of party planning and organizing. " _Hopefully, uninterrupted._ " He thought to himself, as he made his way downstairs for breakfast.

Pinkie woke up a short time later, and started the day as she always did, with her funny face exercises with The Cake Twins. After successfully getting some happy giggles from the twin toddlers, the pink party pony trotted her way downstairs with even more of a spring in her step than usual. Knowing that her birthday party was being planned and organized by Cheese Sandwich was exciting, as was the fact that he was staying at Sugarcube Corner while he planned it. " _I swear, this is too good to be true! But it feels so real! Ooh, if I'm dreaming, please don't let anypony wake me up!_ " She happily thought to herself, and headed downstairs.

Cheese was already downstairs, talking with The Cakes about something. "And that's why Boneless Two isn't allowed within fifteen feet of a party cannon!" He said, prompting all three ponies gathered at the table to laugh.

"Goodness, you certainly have seen it all," Mr. Cake commented, wiping a few tears from his eyes. "But how did you even get up to Cloudsdale in the first place?"

Cheese grinned and winked. "That's my little secret," He replied, then he abruptly changed the subject. "Say, can I ask you two something?"

"Certainly, what would you like to know?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"Well, it's about Pinkie Pie," Cheese said in response. "I was hoping maybe you two could tell me something about her. Something I really need to know."

"And whatever would that be, Cheese?" Pinkie asked the party pony, bouncing up to him.

Cheese seemed to look shocked at the fact that Pinkie had shown up, but he didn't say anything. He just nervously cleared his throat and replied with. "Uh, what kind of cake do you like? I was going to order one from Sugarcube Corner, and was hoping maybe Mr. and Mrs. Cake would know what flavor your like best."

"That's easy!" Pinkie said with a giggle. "I _love_ chocolate cake! On a scale of one to delicious, chocolate cake is a definite mmm! My favorite party game is 'Pin The Tail On The Pony', I always have balloons handy because you can't have a party without balloons, my parents live in Ponypalooza but the last time I sent them invitations to my parties they politely declined, and I have two older sisters and a baby sister even if she's only younger than me by a few minutes! Anything else you want to know about me?!"

"Nope, I'm good," Cheese said with a nervous laugh. "Thanks again for breakfast Mr. and Mrs. Cake, now I'd better get going. That party's not gonna plan itself!" And the gamboge coated stallion zipped away at a speed that even Pinkie found shockingly fast! Once he was certain he was out of sight and that Pinkie wasn't following him, Cheese turned to Boneless Two. "That was too close, the cat almost got out of the bag there," He whispered to the rubber chicken. Said chicken didn't say a word, its neck just leaned back ever so slightly. "You're right, Boneless Two, I've got to stop thinking about Pinkie Pie so much. From here on out, my focus has to be on the party and the party alone!"

[hr]

At first Pinkie didn't think anything of Cheese's sudden departure, after all party planning was a very demanding occupation. And as any party pony worth their balloons will tell you, it's always important that you get the party just right no matter who it was for or what the occasion might be.

However, as she bounced about town while making her usual rounds, Pinkie couldn't help but notice that something seemed 'off' with Cheese Sandwich. It seemed like whenever he was around her, he would suddenly try to come up with a reason to be somewhere else or to do something else. And the last time he'd been in Ponyville, Cheese hadn't had any problems being near Pinkie Pie, even after he told her about why he'd wanted to impress her.

Had something happened to Cheese while he was on the road that he was trying to forget? Was that he had come back to Ponyville on such short notice? Or maybe he had come back to Ponyville because he was planning to retire from being a party pony?

Pinkie shook her head, neither of those sounded like possibilities to her. Cheese said he'd originally come back to Ponyville to relax, before he decided to head up the preparations for Pinkie's birthday party. But maybe that wasn't the whole truth? It seemed like there was something the super duper party pony was trying to hide. " _But how I can figure out what that something is if he won't tell me?_ " Pinkie thought to herself. " _I don't want to intrude if it's something personal, but if something's bothering him I want to be able to help him._ "

From a distance, Pinkie watched Cheese as he continued to work on arranging things in the center of town, and making sure that everything was in its proper place. Just like with Rainbow Dash's birthaversary, Cheese didn't hesitate to add his own style of decorations, including detailed banners, search lights, and gigantic balloon animals. He seemed to be almost hyper focused on the party planning, to the point where he was tuning out everything else. In that state, Pinkie doubted she could get through to him.

" _Maybe the girls will some ideas on what to do,_ " Pinkie pondered. " _At the least it'll give Cheese some time to focus on just the party, and hopefully work out whatever's troubling him._ " And so the pink coated earth pony bounced away, her destination clear in mind. But part of her couldn't help but worry about she'd do if the girls couldn't help her or give her advice. This was a situation that was enough to make Pinkie even more coco loco than usual.

[hr]

It didn't take Pinkie long to reach Twilight's castle, it was pretty hard to miss the giant crystal tree that stood out like a sore hoof. Trotting up to the door, Pinkie knocked on it a couple of times, not trying to sound desperate but still trying to give off a sense of urgency.

Spike opened the door and greeted Pinkie. "Oh, hi Pinkie Pie. What brings you here on short notice? Another map mission?"

"Not one that I know of, no glowing cutie marks today," Pinkie replied, then quickly changed the subject before she could sidetracked. "Is anypony here?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, all of our friends are here!" Spike told Pinkie, as he led her inside. "This another one of your girls only meetings where you talk about stuff?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Nope, it's something else. Something urgent, you might say. Something that's bothering me so much that I just have to tell somepony and hope they can help me figure out what to do!"

"Okay..." Spike nervously replied, Pinkie's expression causing him to slowly back away a little. "Well, they're all gathered in the throne room. I don't think they have anything really important to discuss today, aside from your upcoming birthday party of course."

"Great, today's my lucky day!" Pinkie said, and dashed off towards the throne room before Spike could say anything else.

In just a few short minutes, Pinkie reached the throne room, and she practically burst through the doors as she shouted. "Girls, I need your help!"

"Slow down, Pinkie. Deep breaths," Twilight advised, and waited until Pinkie had done so before asking. "So, what's this all about? Is something wrong?"

Taking another deep breath, Pinkie spoke up and told the girls. "It's about Cheese Sandwich, he's been acting 'different'."

"What do you mean by 'different'?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Like he's not acting like himself?"

Fluttershy gasped. "What if he's been replaced by a changeling, and not a nice one like Thorax?!"

"No, not like that! He hasn't been acting 'that' different!" Pinkie protested.

"Then exactly how has he been acting 'different'?" Rarity asked Pinkie, trying not to sound impolite.

"It's hard to explain, but he just seems to act like he's uncomfortable whenever he's around me," Pinkie explained to the six mares. "He keeps looking for any reason to leave. It's like being around me is really difficult for him or something. I'm worried that something may have happened to him that he doesn't want to talk about, but I just don't know how to tell him that without sounding like I'm being nosy. Please, you have to help me! What am I supposed to do in this kind of situation?"

Much to Pinkie's surprise, it was Starlight who spoke up. "I can speak from experience, Pinkie. I went through the same thing with Sunburst after the changeling scare in The Crystal Empire. When I next went to see him, he kept coming up with excuses as to why he couldn't be around me. Whether it was him teaching Flurry Heart magic, helping Thorax adjust to life in The Crystal Empire, or just monitoring The Crystal Heart. And whenever he was around me, he seemed to be really nervous and uncomfortable. So you wanna know what I did?"

"You didn't brainwash him, did you?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow at Starlight. "No offense, but you don't exactly have the best track record for that."

"Don't be silly, of course I didn't!" Starlight protested, then in a calmer tone she continued her story. "I just asked him if there was something he wanted to say to me, and whatever it was I promised to be okay with it. That's when he told me how he really felt about me, and since then we've kept up our long distance relationship."

"You think Cheese Sandwich is in love with me?" Pinkie asked, her eyes growing wide!

"Maybe, but then again maybe not," Starlight concluded. "Either way, you just need to let Cheese Sandwich know that you're okay with whatever he's trying to keep secret, and trust him to open up when he feels ready. Sometimes it just takes a little push to get things going."

"And what if it's something I don't want to hear?" Pinkie asked in a worried tone. "What if it's something I wish I could forget?"

"That would be unfortunate," Starlight observed. "But it's clear you're worried about the way Cheese is acting, and that worry isn't going to go away until you talk to him and tell him how you feel."

For a few moments, Pinkie said nothing. She just let Starlight's word sink in slowly, while she contemplated her next move. Telling Cheese how she felt was a very big move, especially since Pinkie wasn't sure herself how she truly felt about that wonderful stallion. Sure, he was pretty cute, and it was clear he greatly admired her, but was she willing to jeopardize all that admiration on the possibility that he had romantic feelings for her?

But at last, Pinkie decided that Starlight was right. The only way to clear up her worries and find out why Cheese had been acting so odd, was for her to take that leap of fate and tell him why she was worried about him. "Well, I'm gonna do it. Wish me luck, girls," She said, and dashed out of the throne room. Then she hastily zipped back in and added. "And thanks for the advice, Starlight."

"Anytime, Pinkie. Now get going." Starlight encouraged.

"Yes ma-am!" Pinkie eagerly replied, dashing out of the throne room once again.

[hr]

Pinkie zipped back into town at a lightning speed, she was a pony on a mission and her destination was clear in mind as was her objective. She was going to talk to Cheese Sandwich, and wasn't going to stop until she got some answers. She just hoped that everything would work out for the better in the end, the possibility of their friendship and Cheese's admiration being terminated gave the pink party pony cause for concern. But regardless of the possible outcome, Pinkie knew she had to try! If not for her sake, then certainly for Cheese's sake!

Cheese was still in the center of town, and still focusing solely on the party. It seemed like the stallion hadn't moved an inch since Pinkie had last seen him, to the point where he could've been mistaken for a statue.

Pinkie stood on a hill overlooking the center of town, her eyes focused solely on one pony. " _This is it! No turning back now! I have to tell him how I feel, and be prepared for however he chooses to react!"_ Pinkie thought, giving herself a mental pep talk right before the moment of truth! After taking a good deep breath, Pinkie raced down the hill and straight towards Cheese's location.

Cheese was so hyperfocused on the party planning, that he didn't notice Pinkie come rushing towards him until it was too late! Cheese was pulled head first into a killer Pinkie hug! "Pinkie?! Well... this is a... uh... pleasant surprise." The stallion quipped, as he dusted himself off.

"Sorry," Pinkie apologized. "But there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Cheese asked, suspecting nothing while also trying to find a way to get back to focusing on the party.

Pinkie gulped and plucked up courage, this was it! "I've noticed that you've been acting a little 'different' whenever you're around me, as if you'd rather be anywhere else."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Cheese nervously laughed, while trying to flash an innocent smile.

Pinkie didn't buy the look on Cheese's face for a second. "Cheese, I'm worried about you," She told him, adopting a serious look on her face. "I don't like the fact that there might be something troubling you and that I don't know what it is. Starlight thinks you might be in love with me, but all I care about is whether or not you're happy. If there's something you want to tell me about why you seem to want to avoid me, please tell. I just want to know if there's anything I can do to make you happy, because I can't stand the thought of somepony I care about being unhappy and not knowing what's troubling them." Now it was all up to Cheese, and Pinkie mentally braced herself for whatever it was he was going to say to her. She was even prepared for the possibility that he might not tell her anything, and leave her guessing.

But much to Pinkie's surprise, Cheese blushed and pulled Pinkie in close with a hoof. "Oh Pinkie, I should've known I couldn't keep anything a secret from you forever. You always have a way of finding out." He said happily, a sincere smile breaking out across his face.

"Cheese, do you mean to tell me that you-" Pinkie began, but was interrupted by a hoof to her mouth.

"-I do," Cheese replied, and confessed. "Ever since I first layed eyes on you, I knew there was something about you that I liked. But it wasn't until after the incident where I almost ran you out of town that I truly realized just how much you mean to me. Since then, I spent all my time on the road thinking about you, even while I was planning or throwing parties. And when I realized your birthday was coming up, I knew I had to come back to Ponyville and see you. I had hoped to wait until your actual birthday to tell you this, both so that it would be a surprise present, and so that I could have time to sort out my feelings and figure out how to best tell you that I love you."

Now it was Pinkie's turn to blush. "Ah Cheese, you big goof! Why didn't you just say that in the first place so we could save all this trouble?" She then pulled the stallion into a massive and passionate kiss, Cheese returned the kiss whole heartedly, neither pony wanting it to end but alas it eventually did. "I'm totally thrilled with this early birthday present you've given me," Pinkie said to Cheese (who was still blushing). "It's the best present I could've asked for!"

"It was nothing, I'm glad you liked it." Cheese replied, still processing the fact that this was all real.

"Hey, you know what this means?!" Pinkie asked her new coltfriend.

"What, Pinkie?" Cheese asked.

"Now you've got [i]two[/i] parties to throw!" Pinkie explained, leaping into the air in excitement. "One to celebrate my birthday, and one to celebrate the fact that we're now officially a couple!"

"You really wanna announce it to the whole town of Ponyville?" Cheese nervously asked Pinkie. "I mean, this is all so sudden."

Pinkie giggled. "Ponies are gonna find out sooner or later, might as well have them learn the truth now. What, you worried they're going to judge you for it? If they do, they can take it up with me!"

"It's not that," Cheese said with a shake of his head. "There's something that worries me about all of this. You know I can't stay in one town or one place for long, it's who I am."

Pinkie only giggled, while her happy grin grew wider. "Of course I know I can't keep you here forever, not even now that we're together. But we'll keep in touch through writing, and you know I'll always be looking forward to the times when you come back here and be with me! Besides, you being on the road a lot means I'll just have to cherish the time we have together even more!" And after briefly pulling Cheese into a great big hug she added. "Now come on, time's a wasting! There are parties to plan, and I can think of only one Super Duper Party Pony who can throw them!"

Cheese just smiled, and for Pinkie that was all he needed to do to please her. Why had he ever doubted himself? He could easily be The Super Duper Party Pony _and_ the coltfriend Pinkie deserved!


End file.
